US Senate advances bill to end federal shutdown

The US Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel.

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In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund the government until Jan. 30 and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills. If the Senate eventually passes the bill, the package still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald J. Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days.

Under a deal struck with a handful of Democrats who rebuffed their party’s leadership, Republicans agreed to a vote in December on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a person familiar with the negotiations said. The subsidies, which help lower-income Americans pay for private health insurance and are due to expire at the end of the year, have been a Democratic priority during the funding battle.

The vote to advance the bill passed by a 60-40 margin, the minimum needed to overcome a Senate filibuster,

“It looks like we're getting very close to the shutdown ending,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House prior to the vote.

The bill would prohibit federal agencies from firing employees until Jan. 30, a win for federal worker unions and their allies. It would stall Mr, Trump’s campaign to downsize the federal workforce.